Quarterly testing set for sirens near nuclear power plant

Mar. 10, 2018

SURRY, Va. (AP) — The quarterly testing of the early warning siren system around the Surry nuclear power plant will be conducted Wednesday.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management, local officials and Dominion Energy will test the system.

A steady, three-minute tone will be sounded at approximately 11:10 a.m. by 71 sirens in Williamsburg, Newport News and the counties of Surry, James City, York and the Isle of Wight. The sirens are located within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of the power station.

If there were an actual emergency, residents would hear four separate three-minute activations, each separated by a one-minute silent interval.

During an emergency when sirens sound, residents should listen to local officials and media outlets that broadcast emergency information for updates and instructions.